MBB: NESCAC

[ECSUalum]

I have recently called out a couple of ref trios over the last 5 or so games for poor performance!  I know it is a difficult job to get it 100% correct, all the time, but sometimes on some calls and sometimes repeated calls I find, for the life of me, how 3 refs can get it wrong!  Having said this there is a trio of refs I have see live many times that are outstanding andcould do D-I games w/o issue!  They are: Mike Scanlon, Jawaan Williams, Eric Britto.  BTW Mike is retiring this year and I would like to wish him a healthy happy retirement!!

[jayhawk]

To be clear I was not criticizing the referees for the rest of the game. It was an ok job of officiating and let the players play

Regardless of whether you want to call it a flagrant there is  no way that when you swing an elbow and deck a person that is not a foul

In almost sports that can be dangerous and handled as an important issue, I suppose someone will tell me that there is no risk in it without knowing  I am a physician

listen great game hard played but both sides.

While I am an Amherst fan and disappointed this is one of the situations which is also about the safety  and not merely good or bad refs.
i was sitting a few feet from the incident
This is only game and I get that
time to move on

[frank uible]

The rule is money trumps all else with few exceptions.Make too many exceptions too often and you are broke permanently.

[pinseeking1]

I think that everyone should get over it and remember that Amherst can actually be beaten once in a while. (I know, big surprise!) What ever happened to giving the other team some credit? I think Krill (or anyone else) misses that shot 90% of the time. So why not give the kid some credit for making a miraculous shot to win a big game? Geesh...

[jumpshot]

pin seeking, you are correct, sir!

Thanks for refocusing what had become for the moment "a false narrative".

[nescac1]

Yahoo!  Williams puts forth a tremendous effort on both ends to come away with a convincing victory over Wesleyan, breaking a four game losing streak in the NESCAC championship game (with two of those losses coming in LeFrak). 

It was as one would expect a defensive struggle.  Part of it was two REALLY good defensive teams who know each other well.  But also, I have to think the quick turnaround from two intense semifinal games meant that the shooters simply didn't have their legs.  For Williams, Heskett and Casey were a combined 1-13 from 3 (1-10 for Heskett, who missed three that are really layups for him), many of those on shots they normally hit.  Wesleyan's shooters, especially Krill who had no breathing room all night, also struggled in a big way until very late in the game when the deficit was already way too large. 

One key stat for the Ephs was only five turnovers on the night, very impressive against a team as athletic and big as Wesleyan.  The Ephs had an incredible 12 turnovers over the entire weekend, and I think were helped by the addition of Greenman to the rotation.  Everyone on the Ephs is an excellent ball-handler, even the centers. 

The story of the weekend for Williams is that these were both very balanced team efforts.  Casey and Heskett were unable to carry the team as they have all season long, but everyone else stepped up in a massive way, especially Mike Greenman.  If you had put bets on NESCAC tourney MVP being Greenman before the weekend, it would have been at least 100-1 odds.  But in my view he was indeed the most valuable player of the weekend, narrowly edging out Heskett, as he had another big game today, 9-4-5, and three massive triples (two from VERY deep) in a game in which points from outside were really hard to come by.  Matt Karpowicz also had one of his best games as an Eph.  He really struggled the last time he played Wesleyan but this time the Cards had no answer for him as he put up 14 points on 6-9 shooting, including I think three emphatic dunks and three absolutely gorgeous post moves.  He was locked in tonight.  Mike Kempton also had some big moments inside as he played stellar defense and went 6-6 from the line, four of those coming late in the game when Williams was struggling to make free throws. 

Despite being ice cold and not getting seemingly any rolls on his shots, Heskett still toughed his way to a solid 17-4-3 game, with a lot of big high-degree of difficult shots on the interior in the second half.  Kudos to him for not getting discouraged and working to get points inside on a night in which his outside shot was uncharacteristically unreliable.  To me, he has earned NESCAC POY.  Finally, Henry Feinberg had a huge game off the bench, finishing with 9 points including two treys at especially big moments of the game.  He keeps getting better and is dramatically improved since the beginning of the season, and now has the luxury of playing as a sixth man. 

Tremendous weekend for the Ephs and best of all it was truly a team effort with everyone making big contributions.  Williams is right now a very, very tough team to score against.  The Ephs don't have any crazy athletic individual defenders like a Jordan Sears, but they play stellar team defense and make very few mistakes.  You just don't get many easy shots vs. Williams so you have to make the ones you do get, and tonight Wesleyan was not able to do so, missing its own share of looks that I think a fresher team might have hit.  Great effort by the Cards as well, certainly, and I am confident that both of these teams earned hosting rights in the first and second round, with Williams I would assume hosting until Salem, if they can manage to keep winning!

Go Ephs and congrats to Coach App!

[middhoops]

Congrats to the Ephs.
They dug themselves out of a hole in February, big time.
Williams goes into the big tourney with a legit shot at the Final Four.

Also big kudos to Wesleyan.  They fell short today but yesterday's last minute thrilling finish made us forget how incredibly hard it is to win at LeFrak.

[nescac1]

Some nice Eph highlights from today's  game: https://youtu.be/sxNPJb45NRA

Too bad Jordan Bonner's tomahawk jam is not on there.  That was nasty.

Based on Pool C board four Nescac teams are locks and Amherst is teetering right on the bubble.  One prognosticator has them in, one has them out. 

[Colby Hoops]

Mike Greenman is nails. That kid plays his biggest games when it matters. Last year he was only okay during the regular season and then excellent in the postseason run. This year, he struggled to meet expectations early in the year, was injured and presumed out for the year. Now, he's back hitting huge shots and playing a critical role in the biggest game of the season. Impressive.

[toad22]

Back from the NESCAC finals. I feel so proud and happy for the Williams players. They have not had an easy season, with the loss of their best player, Kyle Scadlock, and the 5 week loss of their point guard, Mike Greenman. They persevered, grew as individuals, and as a team, and won the league, something that is very hard to do. Hopefully, they are on a roll. Sorry if this is very homerish and sappy.

[Cards Fan]

Well, that was a disappointing loss. There were lots of missed open opportunities for the Cardinals, including a chance to cut the lead to 5 with 5 minutes remaining, but a missed layup kind of shut Wes down for the rest of the game. It was a poorly played game, but luckily it won't be the end of the season for Wes!

The 20-6 record still makes me squirm, though. It is the same record Wes had when they were snubbed of the tournament in 2011.

[D3HforLyfe]

What a weekend! First off, congratulations to Williams. The Ephs were the best team this weekend, and deserved to win. In particular, I was very impressed today versus my Cards. As NESCAC1 pointed out, it wasn't a hot shooting day for either team for which can accurately be blamed on second day fatigue but also just two elite defenses going at it. In my opinion, the difference came down to that Williams absolutely controlled the pace of the game. They never allowed Wesleyan to speed them up (that 5 TO number is a good indicator of this). It felt like every Williams offensive possession was patient with a number of fake actions before they finally attacked, and you could feel Wesleyan (and their crowd) getting antsy. In turn with this gameplan, Williams did everything they could to try to keep the Cardinals out of transition, often sending 3 or even 4 guys back instead of attacking the offensive glass (Williams only had 1 O-Board and I think App was completely okay with that!). I thought it was a great move by their coaching staff that really put them in a solid position from the jump.
I will try not to go too deep into a WIlliams personnel recap because I think it has already been accurately covered. Not to mention, my next statement isn't much of a hot take, but I'll reiterate it anyways: Jimmy Heskett is a very, very good basketball player. I can't overstate how impressive it is the way he has stepped up since Scadlock went down, and, even though he didn't shoot it well today, he absolutely was the closer for them in the biggest moments. All things considered, I still think Jack Daly should win POY, but Heskett is the far and away favorite next year for the award. I also think it was a subtly brilliant performance by his P.i.C. Bobby Casey. He was the main orchestrator in not allowing Wesleyan to speed up the Ephs, and I give him major props for not forcing the issue when he has been dominant all NESCAC season. It can be hard and frustrating for a big time player to only take four shots in a championship game, and I really respect the way Casey sacrificed for the betterment of his team in this sense. Karpowicz was dominant. I know they came away with the win today and maybe it is his conditioning or some other factor that I don't know about, but it still surprises me that he doesn't play more. 14 points (with 2 or 3 dunks) in 16 minutes! Teal and Feinberg were fantastic in their roles as well - Feinberg hit a DAGGER late. And, finally, you gotta feel good for Mike Greenman, a fifth year senior who has been through a lot in his career. After starting in the national championship game as a freshman, his career has been all over the place. He sustained two serious injuries that both, in different ways, were potentially career ending. And even when he was healthy and in the line-up, his minutes were sporadic, often being benched by a coach who wasn't the one that recruited him. For him to put in the necessary time rehabbing to play this weekend was valiant enough, but then to be the absolute X-Factor? Storybook. He has always been a big game player (dating back to the NESCAC Quarters his freshman year against Tufts when he saved them) and he once again stepped up this weekend.

For Amherst, what a heartbreaker. I hope they get another game, but I am in the seeming majority that believes they are out. If it is it done, a huge shoutout to their seniors, Michael Riopel and Johnny McCarthy. What a great NESCAC wing duo. Riopel was always an impactful role player, but he really stepped up for a young team and came into his own this season. McCarthy is an all-time favorite for me. I was unfairly hard on him at times this year for not scoring more, but someone on this board accurately reminded me that it was probably somewhat of a miscasting for him to be "the guy". Over the course of the last weekend and then their two NESCAC tournament games, it became more apparent just how much he does for them in other ways. Defensively, rebounding, and the timeliness of his plays - I have to imagine that others here were strangely confident (or in my case concerned) due to his history that he was going to hit that shot after the "Krill Miracle". All in all, a great career for both. It will be interesting to see which one(s) make All-NESCAC. I think Amherst only deserves one, but I can't decide who out of these two it should be.

For Hamilton, I thought it was a weird game for them. I feel for Doyle - a great player who ill-advisedly drove on the last play instead of pulling up for the needed three. The mental lapse was in how much time was left, not the score. He was trying to get a drive and kick to the corner, for which wasn't a terrible idea but there just wasn't enough time. I have to imagine that will be a tough one for him to swallow, but he has to. The Continentals are a tournament team and a dangerous one at that. I think they are probably excited to face non-NESCAC teams that aren't familiar with their many options and different style of play. Gilmour and Hoffman are both very good and could lead this balanced team on a major run with some luck. Excited to follow them.

And, lastly, a major thank you to my Cards. What a fun run to the championship game! They got outplayed today, They missed open threes, free throws (this isn't unusual though), and lay-ups were going to make it nearly impossible to beat a well-coached and talented Ephs squad. With that said, I will never forget that game against Amherst. What a well-played match on both sides in front of a crowd and gym that symbolize what makes Division III basketball so special. And, needless to say, WHAT A SHOT BY KRILL. I loved the saying someone used earlier: "Seniors gonna senior." Well, they certainly did for Wes and it culminated with that shot. I'm glad it seems Jordan Sears has separated himself as the rightful favorite for DPOY, I have never seen someone dominate a game defensively this whole season, but particularly against Middlebury - incredible. Also, I want to give some love to the third senior JR Bascom who seems to fly under the radar but is a very effective player as well. He ends the NESCAC season second in the league in field goal percentage and dominated the glass today with 16 rebounds against the Ephs. A great role player and emotional leader for Wesleyan who shouldn't be overlooked.

   I think Wesleyan's All-NESCAC representatives could go a number of ways. My guess is that Jordan Bonner and Nathan Krill will be 2nd Team guys while Sears takes home DPOY and Hutcherson gets ROY. It feels like that would be a lot of love for a Wesleyan squad that ended in a 5-way tie for first, but I don't know who you leave off there. Sears and Hutcherson seem like locks, and I don't know how you would pick between Bonner and Krill at this point. I guess we will see what the league coaches think. NESCAC1, a few weeks ago I put Sears on my made up 3rd Team instead of Krill, and you correctly called that change before Krill had a great finish to the season. Good stuff. I still think Sears, despite having a minimal role offensively, is so good defensively that it is hard not to consider him one of Wesleyan's two or three most important players. It is hard to exactly quantify his importance in this sense though (outside of giving him DPOY), and Krill is the more reasonable decision. 

Luckily for us, it appears the season isn't over. Wesleyan is a tournament team who, in my opinion, should host a pod. Silloway Gymnasium has never hosted one before, and it would be a great venue for it. Excited for them to be playing in March again and for the program to potentially get their first NCAA Tournament victory. It can't be understated the job Joe Reilly has done. This program was in the gutter a decade ago when he took over. With the help of AD Mike Whalen, he quickly changed the culture in Middletown and subsequently started getting some great players as well. It started with the great recruiting class that was Callaghan, St. Jean, Beresford and Brown and was taken to a new level by the class of Davis, Mackey, Edmonds, and Epps. It feels like they have went up another level now with this class of Sears, Krill, and Bascom. It has been fun to watch, and the future looks even brighter for the next few years when these 3 graduate as well. So, even with the loss today, I'm excited to be a Cards fan right now.

[D3HforLyfe]

Well, that was a disappointing loss. There were lots of missed open opportunities for the Cardinals, including a chance to cut the lead to 5 with 5 minutes remaining, but a missed layup kind of shut Wes down for the rest of the game. It was a poorly played game, but luckily it won't be the end of the season for Wes!

The 20-6 record still makes me squirm, though. It is the same record Wes had when they were snubbed of the tournament in 2011.

Understandable. Luckily, we are 21-6 with a few more quality wins than the 2011-2012 team. I think we are in a very good position (knock on wood).

[Old Guy]

What a weekend! First off, congratulations to Williams. The Ephs were the best team this weekend, and deserved to win. In particular, I was very impressed today versus my Cards. As NESCAC1 pointed out, it wasn't a hot shooting day for either team for which can accurately be blamed on second day fatigue but also just two elite defenses going at it. In my opinion, the difference came down to that Williams absolutely controlled the pace of the game. They never allowed Wesleyan to speed them up (that 5 TO number is a good indicator of this). It felt like every Williams offensive possession was patient with a number of fake actions before they finally attacked, and you could feel Wesleyan (and their crowd) getting antsy. In turn with this gameplan, Williams did everything they could to try to keep the Cardinals out of transition, often sending 3 or even 4 guys back instead of attacking the offensive glass (Williams only had 1 O-Board and I think App was completely okay with that!). I thought it was a great move by their coaching staff that really put them in a solid position from the jump.
I will try not to go too deep into a WIlliams personnel recap because I think it has already been accurately covered. Not to mention, my next statement isn't much of a hot take, but I'll reiterate it anyways: Jimmy Heskett is a very, very good basketball player. I can't overstate how impressive it is the way he has stepped up since Scadlock went down, and, even though he didn't shoot it well today, he absolutely was the closer for them in the biggest moments. All things considered, I still think Jack Daly should win POY, but Heskett is the far and away favorite next year for the award. I also think it was a subtly brilliant performance by his P.i.C. Bobby Casey. He was the main orchestrator in not allowing Wesleyan to speed up the Ephs, and I give him major props for not forcing the issue when he has been dominant all NESCAC season. It can be hard and frustrating for a big time player to only take four shots in a championship game, and I really respect the way Casey sacrificed for the betterment of his team in this sense. Karpowicz was dominant. I know they came away with the win today and maybe it is his conditioning or some other factor that I don't know about, but it still surprises me that he doesn't play more. 14 points (with 2 or 3 dunks) in 16 minutes! Teal and Feinberg were fantastic in their roles as well - Feinberg hit a DAGGER late. And, finally, you gotta feel good for Mike Greenman, a fifth year senior who has been through a lot in his career. After starting in the national championship game as a freshman, his career has been all over the place. He sustained two serious injuries that both, in different ways, were potentially career ending. And even when he was healthy and in the line-up, his minutes were sporadic, often being benched by a coach who wasn't the one that recruited him. For him to put in the necessary time rehabbing to play this weekend was valiant enough, but then to be the absolute X-Factor? Storybook. He has always been a big game player (dating back to the NESCAC Quarters his freshman year against Tufts when he saved them) and he once again stepped up this weekend.

For Amherst, what a heartbreaker. I hope they get another game, but I am in the seeming majority that believes they are out. If it is it done, a huge shoutout to their seniors, Michael Riopel and Johnny McCarthy. What a great NESCAC wing duo. Riopel was always an impactful role player, but he really stepped up for a young team and came into his own this season. McCarthy is an all-time favorite for me. I was unfairly hard on him at times this year for not scoring more, but someone on this board accurately reminded me that it was probably somewhat of a miscasting for him to be "the guy". Over the course of the last weekend and then their two NESCAC tournament games, it became more apparent just how much he does for them in other ways. Defensively, rebounding, and the timeliness of his plays - I have to imagine that others here were strangely confident (or in my case concerned) due to his history that he was going to hit that shot after the "Krill Miracle". All in all, a great career for both. It will be interesting to see which one(s) make All-NESCAC. I think Amherst only deserves one, but I can't decide who out of these two it should be.

For Hamilton, I thought it was a weird game for them. I feel for Doyle - a great player who ill-advisedly drove on the last play instead of pulling up for the needed three. The mental lapse was in how much time was left, not the score. He was trying to get a drive and kick to the corner, for which wasn't a terrible idea but there just wasn't enough time. I have to imagine that will be a tough one for him to swallow, but he has to. The Continentals are a tournament team and a dangerous one at that. I think they are probably excited to face non-NESCAC teams that aren't familiar with their many options and different style of play. Gilmour and Hoffman are both very good and could lead this balanced team on a major run with some luck. Excited to follow them.

And, lastly, a major thank you to my Cards. What a fun run to the championship game! They got outplayed today, They missed open threes, free throws (this isn't unusual though), and lay-ups were going to make it nearly impossible to beat a well-coached and talented Ephs squad. With that said, I will never forget that game against Amherst. What a well-played match on both sides in front of a crowd and gym that symbolize what makes Division III basketball so special. And, needless to say, WHAT A SHOT BY KRILL. I loved the saying someone used earlier: "Seniors gonna senior." Well, they certainly did for Wes and it culminated with that shot. I'm glad it seems Jordan Sears has separated himself as the rightful favorite for DPOY, I have never seen someone dominate a game defensively this whole season, but particularly against Middlebury - incredible. Also, I want to give some love to the third senior JR Bascom who seems to fly under the radar but is a very effective player as well. He ends the NESCAC season second in the league in field goal percentage and dominated the glass today with 16 rebounds against the Ephs. A great role player and emotional leader for Wesleyan who shouldn't be overlooked.

   I think Wesleyan's All-NESCAC representatives could go a number of ways. My guess is that Jordan Bonner and Nathan Krill will be 2nd Team guys while Sears takes home DPOY and Hutcherson gets ROY. It feels like that would be a lot of love for a Wesleyan squad that ended in a 5-way tie for first, but I don't know who you leave off there. Sears and Hutcherson seem like locks, and I don't know how you would pick between Bonner and Krill at this point. I guess we will see what the league coaches think. NESCAC1, a few weeks ago I put Sears on my made up 3rd Team instead of Krill, and you correctly called that change before Krill had a great finish to the season. Good stuff. I still think Sears, despite having a minimal role offensively, is so good defensively that it is hard not to consider him one of Wesleyan's two or three most important players. It is hard to exactly quantify his importance in this sense though (outside of giving him DPOY), and Krill is the more reasonable decision. 

Luckily for us, it appears the season isn't over. Wesleyan is a tournament team who, in my opinion, should host a pod. Silloway Gymnasium has never hosted one before, and it would be a great venue for it. Excited for them to be playing in March again and for the program to potentially get their first NCAA Tournament victory. It can't be understated the job Joe Reilly has done. This program was in the gutter a decade ago when he took over. With the help of AD Mike Whalen, he quickly changed the culture in Middletown and subsequently started getting some great players as well. It started with the great recruiting class that was Callaghan, St. Jean, Beresford and Brown and was taken to a new level by the class of Davis, Mackey, Edmonds, and Epps. It feels like they have went up another level now with this class of Sears, Krill, and Bascom. It has been fun to watch, and the future looks even brighter for the next few years when these 3 graduate as well. So, even with the loss today, I'm excited to be a Cards fan right now.

[Old Guy]

What a weekend! First off, congratulations to Williams. The Ephs were the best team this weekend, and deserved to win. In particular, I was very impressed today versus my Cards. As NESCAC1 pointed out, it wasn't a hot shooting day for either team for which can accurately be blamed on second day fatigue but also just two elite defenses going at it. In my opinion, the difference came down to that Williams absolutely controlled the pace of the game. They never allowed Wesleyan to speed them up (that 5 TO number is a good indicator of this). It felt like every Williams offensive possession was patient with a number of fake actions before they finally attacked, and you could feel Wesleyan (and their crowd) getting antsy. In turn with this gameplan, Williams did everything they could to try to keep the Cardinals out of transition, often sending 3 or even 4 guys back instead of attacking the offensive glass (Williams only had 1 O-Board and I think App was completely okay with that!). I thought it was a great move by their coaching staff that really put them in a solid position from the jump.
I will try not to go too deep into a WIlliams personnel recap because I think it has already been accurately covered. Not to mention, my next statement isn't much of a hot take, but I'll reiterate it anyways: Jimmy Heskett is a very, very good basketball player. I can't overstate how impressive it is the way he has stepped up since Scadlock went down, and, even though he didn't shoot it well today, he absolutely was the closer for them in the biggest moments. All things considered, I still think Jack Daly should win POY, but Heskett is the far and away favorite next year for the award. I also think it was a subtly brilliant performance by his P.i.C. Bobby Casey. He was the main orchestrator in not allowing Wesleyan to speed up the Ephs, and I give him major props for not forcing the issue when he has been dominant all NESCAC season. It can be hard and frustrating for a big time player to only take four shots in a championship game, and I really respect the way Casey sacrificed for the betterment of his team in this sense. Karpowicz was dominant. I know they came away with the win today and maybe it is his conditioning or some other factor that I don't know about, but it still surprises me that he doesn't play more. 14 points (with 2 or 3 dunks) in 16 minutes! Teal and Feinberg were fantastic in their roles as well - Feinberg hit a DAGGER late. And, finally, you gotta feel good for Mike Greenman, a fifth year senior who has been through a lot in his career. After starting in the national championship game as a freshman, his career has been all over the place. He sustained two serious injuries that both, in different ways, were potentially career ending. And even when he was healthy and in the line-up, his minutes were sporadic, often being benched by a coach who wasn't the one that recruited him. For him to put in the necessary time rehabbing to play this weekend was valiant enough, but then to be the absolute X-Factor? Storybook. He has always been a big game player (dating back to the NESCAC Quarters his freshman year against Tufts when he saved them) and he once again stepped up this weekend.

For Amherst, what a heartbreaker. I hope they get another game, but I am in the seeming majority that believes they are out. If it is it done, a huge shoutout to their seniors, Michael Riopel and Johnny McCarthy. What a great NESCAC wing duo. Riopel was always an impactful role player, but he really stepped up for a young team and came into his own this season. McCarthy is an all-time favorite for me. I was unfairly hard on him at times this year for not scoring more, but someone on this board accurately reminded me that it was probably somewhat of a miscasting for him to be "the guy". Over the course of the last weekend and then their two NESCAC tournament games, it became more apparent just how much he does for them in other ways. Defensively, rebounding, and the timeliness of his plays - I have to imagine that others here were strangely confident (or in my case concerned) due to his history that he was going to hit that shot after the "Krill Miracle". All in all, a great career for both. It will be interesting to see which one(s) make All-NESCAC. I think Amherst only deserves one, but I can't decide who out of these two it should be.

For Hamilton, I thought it was a weird game for them. I feel for Doyle - a great player who ill-advisedly drove on the last play instead of pulling up for the needed three. The mental lapse was in how much time was left, not the score. He was trying to get a drive and kick to the corner, for which wasn't a terrible idea but there just wasn't enough time. I have to imagine that will be a tough one for him to swallow, but he has to. The Continentals are a tournament team and a dangerous one at that. I think they are probably excited to face non-NESCAC teams that aren't familiar with their many options and different style of play. Gilmour and Hoffman are both very good and could lead this balanced team on a major run with some luck. Excited to follow them.

And, lastly, a major thank you to my Cards. What a fun run to the championship game! They got outplayed today, They missed open threes, free throws (this isn't unusual though), and lay-ups were going to make it nearly impossible to beat a well-coached and talented Ephs squad. With that said, I will never forget that game against Amherst. What a well-played match on both sides in front of a crowd and gym that symbolize what makes Division III basketball so special. And, needless to say, WHAT A SHOT BY KRILL. I loved the saying someone used earlier: "Seniors gonna senior." Well, they certainly did for Wes and it culminated with that shot. I'm glad it seems Jordan Sears has separated himself as the rightful favorite for DPOY, I have never seen someone dominate a game defensively this whole season, but particularly against Middlebury - incredible. Also, I want to give some love to the third senior JR Bascom who seems to fly under the radar but is a very effective player as well. He ends the NESCAC season second in the league in field goal percentage and dominated the glass today with 16 rebounds against the Ephs. A great role player and emotional leader for Wesleyan who shouldn't be overlooked.

   I think Wesleyan's All-NESCAC representatives could go a number of ways. My guess is that Jordan Bonner and Nathan Krill will be 2nd Team guys while Sears takes home DPOY and Hutcherson gets ROY. It feels like that would be a lot of love for a Wesleyan squad that ended in a 5-way tie for first, but I don't know who you leave off there. Sears and Hutcherson seem like locks, and I don't know how you would pick between Bonner and Krill at this point. I guess we will see what the league coaches think. NESCAC1, a few weeks ago I put Sears on my made up 3rd Team instead of Krill, and you correctly called that change before Krill had a great finish to the season. Good stuff. I still think Sears, despite having a minimal role offensively, is so good defensively that it is hard not to consider him one of Wesleyan's two or three most important players. It is hard to exactly quantify his importance in this sense though (outside of giving him DPOY), and Krill is the more reasonable decision. 

Luckily for us, it appears the season isn't over. Wesleyan is a tournament team who, in my opinion, should host a pod. Silloway Gymnasium has never hosted one before, and it would be a great venue for it. Excited for them to be playing in March again and for the program to potentially get their first NCAA Tournament victory. It can't be understated the job Joe Reilly has done. This program was in the gutter a decade ago when he took over. With the help of AD Mike Whalen, he quickly changed the culture in Middletown and subsequently started getting some great players as well. It started with the great recruiting class that was Callaghan, St. Jean, Beresford and Brown and was taken to a new level by the class of Davis, Mackey, Edmonds, and Epps. It feels like they have went up another level now with this class of Sears, Krill, and Bascom. It has been fun to watch, and the future looks even brighter for the next few years when these 3 graduate as well. So, even with the loss today, I'm excited to be a Cards fan right now.

Sorry. Just meant to say, great post D3HforLyfe: partisan, yet fair, well-put, appreciative of the play of all teams.

I watched much of the play this weekend on-line: terrific games. Fascinating season — 7-3 is an excellent conference record, who wouldn't take that year after year, yet five teams can claim it. That #8 (Bowdoin) came within seconds of knocking off #1(Amherst) symbolizes the season. Here's hoping Midd gets another game (or more).

Incidentally, I favor the East-West alignment in a revised NESCAC organization. To play a 10 game conference schedule in a 25 game season is crazy and so difficult for those schools outside the Boston-Worcester-Springfield-Hartford axis. We've been talking about this for years. I'm also reminded that it's the NEW ENGLAND SMALL College ATHLETIC Conference (NESCAC). I'd love to see Brandeis in to provide hoop equilibrium (and their President was at Middlebury for a couple of decades and is a Bucknell grad, a varsity athlete there). I don't know how those UAA schools handle those travel costs and time away. MIT would work too, though both schools strictly speaking violate the conference parameters.

To answer an earlier question: before this year, Wesleyan had not defeated Middlebury since 2004, 15 straight losses. But the Cardinals pretty effectively put that onus to rest this year.

Best of luck to all the NESCAC schools in the NCAAs. What a great season. It goes on. Our cup overfloweth.